Car-stake and pocket.



CORNELIUS H. VANDONK, OF WELLS, MICHIGAN.

CAR-STAKE AND POCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Application filed November 8, 1911. Serial No. 659,106.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS I-I. VAN- DONK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wells, in the county of Delta and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Stakes and Pockets, of which the following is a speciflcation.

This invention relates to a car stake and pocket.

The object of the invention is to release all of the stakes upon one side of the car simultaneously, the releasing means actlng both upon hinged sides carried by the pockets or stake holders and also upon the transverse chains which extend across the car from the top'of the stakes. In order to obtain this result I employ the novel features of construction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawmg, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, the stake being in position. Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 1s a side elevation of the pocket, a portion of the side beam of the car and an operating shaft being in section. Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view showing in side elevation a hanger and bearing for the shaft. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the shaft bearing. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a sleevecarrying a locking member, and a collar, the collar being shown detached from the sleeve.

In these drawings 1 represents a metal pocket or stake holding device carried by the side of a car and provided with a front hinged side 2, adapted to swing outwardly and downwardly. Any number of these pockets may be arranged upon the car side, and below all of them extends a rectangular, operating shaft 3. From each pocket ex tend downwardly and inwardly parallel plates l through which the shaft 3 loosely passes and a short shaft 5 having squared ends is also rotatably mounted in said plates. Fixed upon the squared ends of this shaft are upwardly extending arms 6, and pivotally carried by the sides of the pocket are suitable catches each provided with a hook member 7, and with a depending arm 8. The arms 8 and the upwardly extending arms 6 have their meeting ends formed with ooacting curved faces 9, as shown in Fig. 3. The sides of the pockets also carry fixed hook members 10 with which the pivoted hook members 7 cooperate. It will be obvious that when the hook members 7 and 10 are in looking engagement and the curved faces 9 of the arms 6 and 8 are also held interlocked the hooks 7 can not become disengaged from the hooks 10. In order to lock the arms 6 and 8 together I provide a downwardly and inwardly extending foot portion 11 upon one of the arms 6, the toe of which is engaged by a curved hook 12 carried at one end of a sleeve 12 which is mounted upon the shaft 3 and which is held against sliding movement by the hook 12 at one end and a suitable collar 12 at the other end, the hook being struck from a suitable flange, and the flange and collar being upon the outer sides of the plates 4. It will also be noted that in constructing the device these plates are formed integral with the sides of the pocket. A short distance from the pocket a hanger 13 is secured to the side of the car which carries at its lower end a split bearing 13 in which is rotatably mounted a bushing 14 through which the shaft 3 passes. This bushing is also flanged at each end and one of the flanges carries a projecting stop 15. A suitable pawl 16 cooperates with the stop 15, the pawl being lifted out of engagement with the stop by a suitable handle 17, both pawl and stop being carried by a rotatable shaft 18 suitably mounted upon the split hanger 13*. The bushing at one end is also provided with longitudinal extending ears 19 by means of which it can be bolted to the shaft 3.

The car stake is provided with lower and upper recesses 20 and 21 respectively and with a vertical groove 22 which communicates with the two recesses. In said groove works a rod 24 which at its upper end is pivotally connected to a pivoted locking member 23 and at its lower end is pivotally connected to one end of a link 25 which is provided midway its ends to the stake, and which works in the recess 20. This link is of greater length than the width of the stake or of the pocket, so that when the stake is in the pocket the link must rest obliquely across the stake. The stake chain 26 has a hook 27 which is normally held in engagement with the locking member 23.

In operation the pawl 16' is lifted from engagement with the stop 15 by lifting the handle 17 and the shaft 3 rotated to the left by any suitable wrench or operating tool. After the stop 15 is passed under the pawl the pawl is allowed to drop back into posi tion thereby preventing the shaft being turned too far. The turning of the shaft toward the left causes the sleeve 12 to rotate and withd 'aws the hook 12 from engagement with the toe of the foot 11, thus allowing the arm (3 to swing upon its pivotal point. The weight of the logs or other load resting against the stakes will then cause the hinged front 2 of the pocket to swing downwardly and outwardly. This allows the stake to tip a sufficient distance from the side of the car to allow the link 25 to swing into a transverse position, thus elevating the end to which the rod 24L is connected, thereby rocking the locking member 23 and releasing the chain hook 27. It will be obvious therefore that all of the interlocking parts, are held locked against the pressure of the load upon the stakes through the engagement of the hook member 12 with the foot 11, and as soon as said foot is released the remainder of the operation is automatic. It will also be obvious that the turning of the one shaft 3 will release all stakes along one side of the car.

\Vhat I claim isr- 1. In a device of the kind described a stake pocket having a downwardly swing ing front portion, a hook carried by said front portion, a pivoted hook member carried by the side of the pocket and adapted to engage the first mentioned hook member, an arm carried by the second hook member, a pivoted arm carried by the side of the pocket, the said arms having interlocking faces, a shaft, and a hook member rotatable with said shaft and adapted to normally engage a portion of the last mentioned arm and hold the same against movement.

2. In a device of the kind described, a stake pocket having a hinged front member, means for locking said member to the sides of the pocket, a stake adapted to it said pocket, chain holding means carried by said stake, chain releasing means carried by the stake and extending into said pocket, and normally held by the pocket in inoperative position, a. shaft, and means carried by the shaft for holding the said locking devices in. locked position, said devices being released upon rotation of the shaft.

3. The combination with a stake pocket, said pocket having a dmvnwardly swinging front member, interlocking means carried respectively by the pocket sides and by said hinged member,'a rotatable shaft, means carried by and rotating the shaft and adapted to engage a portion of said interlocking means and hold the same against relative movement, a stake having recesses at its upper and lower ends and a groove connecting said recesses, chain holding means arranged in the upper recess, a link pivoted in the lower recess said link being held in an oblique position when the stake is in the pocket, and the rod connecting the outer lower end of said link with the chain holding means, the said interlocking devices and the chain holding means being released upon rotation of the said shaft, in the manner described.

4. In a device of the kind described, a pocket having a hinged front member and having depending plates integral with its side members, a hanger arranged adjacent said pocket having suitable bearings, a shaft, a bushing 011 the shaft rotatably ournaled in the hanger bearings, a sleeve upon said shaft rotatably mounted in the depending plates, a stop carried by the bushing, a pawl carried by the hanger and engaging said stop, pocket locking means carried by the pocket, and a hook carried by said sleeve and adapted to engage a portion of said pocket locking means thereby holding them in interlocking position.

The combination with a pocket of the kind described, acar stake having upper and lower recesses, chain holding means pivotally secured in the upper recess, an operating rod pivotally connected to said holding means, the stake being provided with a groove connecting the recesses and in which said rod works, and a link pivoted in the lower recess having its one end pivotally connected to the rod, said link being of greater length than the width of the pocket, thereby requiring said link to occupy an oblique position when the stake is in the pocket, said link when in said position holding the chain holding means in operative position, and means for releasing the stake from the pocket, thereby permitting said link to assume a transverse position releasing the chain holding means.

CORNELIUS H. VANDONK.

Witnesses G. W. KA'rns, E. \V. VIC/KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

